David Hughes Harris

David is an experienced personal injury lawyer specializing in major injury and wrongful death matters. David serves injured persons who have suffered serious harms and losses as the result of negligence in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, boating accidents, and other serious injury and damages matters throughout Southwest Florida. At Harris Law, every client is valued. This is a client-responsive law practice. Every client's questions are answered, thoughts and inputs sought, phone calls taken or returned. Clients come first.

• Personal Injury

• Car Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Trucking Accidents

• Free Consultation
• Credit Cards Accepted
• Contingent Fees
  Harris Law represents all injury clients on a contingency fee basis, which means there is no fee unless compensation is recovered for the client. Instead, the fee is a percentage of the recovery. Our contingent fees are competitive and always fair.

Florida

Since 1997

11th Circuit

Since 2016

Trial Lawyer | President

Harris Law P.A.

2010 - Current

Trial Lawyer

Private Practice

2003 - 2010

Assistant Public Defender

Office of the Public Defender

2002 - 2003

Trial Lawyer

Private Practice

2000 - 2002

Assistant Public Defender

Office of the Public Defender

1999 - 2000

Trial Lawyer

Private Practice

1995 - 1998

American University Washington College of Law

J.D. (1995) | Trial Law Track

1995

Activities: Co-Chair: National Moot Court Team

American University

B.A. (1991) | Political Science

Outstanding Pro Bono Service

Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc.

2009

Pennsylvania Bar

Admitted

Current

District of Columbia Bar

Admitted

Current

New Jersey Bar

Admitted

Current

Florida Justice Association

Member

Current

Southwest Florida Justice Association

Member

Current

Arbitrator

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

Q. hello I was wondering if you have to pay back Progessive they paid out on a claim I was in an bike accident

5 September 2019

A: If a Florida accident and insurance policy, then your PIP does not get reimbursed (unless you had a deductible which wasn't paid) but Medical Payments (also known as MedPay) does get reimbursed unless waived. If your policy was issued in another State, then different law and policy rules apply. You should speak to your lawyer, if you had one, who was involved in the settlement.

Q. If my now deceased dad have a pending injury lawsuit, does the funds pertaining to the lawsuit goes to his wife?

17 July 2019

A: If a lawsuit is pending in court and the plaintiff dies, then a Suggestion of Death is filed, an estate created in the Probate Court, and the Estate is then substituted in for the deceased plaintiff. Only an Estate is legally recognized to proceed as a party under FL law. The Estate is created in Probate Court and a Personal Representative (PR) is appointed by the court to represent the Estate and make decisions. The PR must be a FL resident, adult, and competent (no felonies or crimes of dishonesty, etc.). The PR can be the surviving spouse, surviving child (over the age of 18), or even non-relative. Depending on the circumstances, there would be beneficiaries of the estate, including spouse and children. Proceeds recovered from a personal injury lawsuit would be distributed by the PR to the beneficiaries according to the decedent's will or intestate (no will) legal requirements. That's in a nutshell. Of course, consult a lawyer for any specifics as to how the rules would apply in your particular circumstances.

Q. As the whole world may know... My father life was taken right in front of me on June 16, 2019 on father's day night...

16 July 2019

A: Sorry to hear of your loss. An adult survivor, including child over the age of 18, who otherwise meets the requirements under Florida, can be a Personal Representative of the Estate. Consult a probate lawyer about next steps. Please note that while your dad was "separated," Florida law does not recognize that status. Unless there was a divorce, then your dad's wife remained his wife. As such, she would be eligible to inherit a portion of the estate, known as statutory elective share. As far as whether a wrongful death claim exists, you need to consult a lawyer who handles such claims to discuss the circumstances/what happened.